Consumer Reports' Obsession
 

Got the new car edition of CR today. I expected its ongoing gripes about the 370Z's poor visibility, harsh ride, road noise and reliability (ECU whine, oil temperature, thin paint, etc) but the crowning gem in this issue is that my year, the 2009, is now listed as among the worst USED cars to buy. I'm sure this will be flaunted by my buyer during re-sale negotiations and will cost me.
Perfect example here of how much harm the press can do.

i can't imagine what they're smoking, but ok.

I wonder what the basis of their claim is? Are they assuming all of them were beat/driven hard? If that's the case I would agree. Same goes for most sports cars, especially ones priced in the 30k range.

I have never given any credence to Consumer Reports, other than using it in an emergency situation when supplies runout whilst perched atop a throne.

Hehehe same here. I've seen plenty of products they raved about end up turning into a POS.

I think/hope most people looking to buy it will look at the car and see that it is fine. One quick drive should change their mind either way ;)

:rofl2:

I don't think this is their thinking as, as I recall, for example, that the $30,000 level Miata is on CR's BEST USED car list.

Yeah I guess someone from CR is in bed with someone from Mazda then :) I don't think CR's opinion is worth jack sh!t anymore. Especially nowadays, anyone who is researching a vehicle will resort to the internets and find places like this and other reviewers. I know me personally, I always read REAL persons reviews as part of my research when buying anything.

Also, what kind of person in the market for a used 370Z is going to let CR steer them away? I'm not worried about it.

To be fair, a lot of that has to do with door quality.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

op- what were their gripes as reasons for the poor score?

The car is new. It has to many issues, to even think of buying a used one! There is another post in here with the TSB's on the 370. Way to many TSB's!

ive not had to take my car in for tsb... (?) :confused: are we talking about the same car? :D

Some do some don't, wonder why?

car's made in germany? :icon17:

Despite all this, they actually rate the car highly with a score of 86 (3rd out of 26 tested). In areas that matter, acceleration, handling, braking etc. it gets top marks. Predicted depreciation is also excellent.

werd...where the hell did they come up with the remark about buying used 2009 is bad? :confused: they must have forgotten what they wrote while finisihing up their report.

In many magazines the 370Z was Best Car for 2009. So what is the different now?


Remember that many of these Car Magazines are bias against japanese cars especially the 370Z.

they walk up to a j-car and ask "do you like NGK plugs?"

I believe the internet is the only source that one needs to show-up Consumer Reports' reliable journalism.

(and it's a shame I'm NOT being sarcastic)

I would be very suspect of any car reviews from that publication. For home appliances, and toasters, they are fine, but for sports car, i rather get opinions from Car Driver, Automobile Magazine and reliability rating from JD Power, etc..

CR proabably thinks these cars will be beaten up at the track, hence, used car value will plummet. I find that hard to believe since the Z34 has been out two years (not enough time to gather real data), and every auto journal i read has it ranked very high in terms of reliability. Plus, Zs are wholly made Japan in a factory for Zs and GTRs.. Unlike other brands which outsource and built cars in pieces from other parts of the world.

:iagree: Forums provide infinitely more valuable feedback than Consumer Reports can ever hope to achieve.

If you read the report they rate the car very highly and it will have low depreciation when you sell it. Areas that it did not fare well in include ride, visibility, paint, and squeaks and rattles. It does not recommend the 370Z because of low reliability ratings based on owner surveys.

Well, I'd avoid an '09 if I was buying used simply because all the issues with the '09s seem to have been solved in 2010+.

No way in hell would I put up with that ECU whine again, or waste my time fighting with a dealer to try and replace it with a 2010 ECU. :mad:

That sums up about 99% of the cars produced today.

Oh hell yea, that's a fact!:tiphat:

Thanks for this post
 

I was in CVS Pharmacy and came across the CR mag. A friend has been trying to talk me into buying a Challenger (trading the Z as I posted her before). I looked up the Challenger and it has a far below average repair record. Not to surprised I hate to admit. So I went to the Z. They rated it as below average but didn't say why. I then turned to the Pathfinder (what I traded for the Z). They said even though the Pathfinder ranked better than average for repair record, it still failed to meet their criteria and they would not recommend it. What? Noise and bumpy ride are what you get with a sports car. I had 5 Rx7s and they were all like that. My big cruiser flopped around like a whale trying to break dance going down the highway. I'll take the bumpy ride any day. What is CR's problem?

Yeah, good thing you didn't replace it with just some other first model year sports car. :stirthepot:

Those owner's probably never had a Z before. I have owned a 300ZX, 350Z and now the 370Z. Now when I bought this car there were certain things that I already expected like the blind spots.

I don't know where they get that reliability BS when the current model is not even 3 yrs old. :shakes head:

Unfortunately, all those criticisms, which come from actual owner survey respeonses, do have varying degrees of validity and will factor into the value equation, one way or another, when we try to re-sell or trade. That's the nature of the market and that's also the chance you take when you buy a new(er) model. Frankly, though, in areas like paint quality, sticking hatches and whining ECU units, being items complained of in Owners' responses, I had expected better from Nissan.

First, anyone buying a car based solely on Consumer Reports probably doesn't know much about buying cars. I'd have a quick look there, but I wouldn't put too much credence into their evaluation. Second, if you have a 2009 and have addressed the stuck hatch, ECU whine, and other issues, you have no problem when you go to sell it. You just tell the buyer you took care of all that for them. Third, I plan on driving my Z until the wheels fall off, so resale value means squat to me.

i only look at magazines and articles to look at pictures.

and reading is for the deaf.

CR to deaf ears. yet i can hear perfectly. :tup:

What is this ECU whine everyone keeps talking about? Also what is a TSB? Is it like a recall that the dealership will fix for free? Should I take my car in to get all of those issues fixed?

if you dont know wat it is, chances are your car doesn't have it. it's an audible high pitched tone like a CRT TV.

OK, so first, a statement about survey data: those who mailed a survey are most likely to respond if they have an extreme response. Very positive or very negative. Those who have moderately positive or negative opinions don't respond.

Second, CR only sends its survey to their readers. Readers of CR are generally concerned about specific issues, such as economy. No surprise then that the CR readership would endorse the Miata vs. the Z.

Finally, I drove past the CR testing track daily for a year while I was an intern. The employees arrive in Subarus, Hondas and Toyotas. They don't know sheet about how to test a performance car, nor can they understand how an enthusiast might not mind too much going to the dealership to get things fixed under warranty, vs. the Legacy owner who would raise holy hell if they had to bring the car back for a TSB.

On a person note, I paid attention to CR for many major purchases I made as a young adult. The only one that paid off was a Maytag washer/dryer. Every other purchase was crap. I think CR's use of the scientific method is about as helpful as pulling a condom over one's foot in an attempt to have safe sex.

Sad thing is that there are many many car buyers and buyers of other things that "faithfully" believe in what C/R says-reports. Most of us as enthusiast could not give a sh*t, we get our info from here!

CR is more suited to reviewing clock radios and toasters. However, you're right. Someone will read that and beat your price up with it.